Lindsey Vonn, Christof Innerhofer Win World Cup Downhill Races

By Bob Bensch -
Jan 19, 2013

Lindsey Vonn of the U.S. won the
women’s downhill today in Italy, while Italian Christof
Innerhofer took the men’s race in Switzerland.

After recently taking three weeks off to recover from
fatigue caused by a stomach illness, Vonn won with a time of 1
minute, 38.25 seconds in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Tina Maze, the
overall World Cup leader from Slovenia was second, 0.43 seconds
back, with American Leanne Smith in third.

Vonn’s seventh career win in Cortina moved her within four
of Austrian Annemarie Moser-Proell for the most World Cup
victories ever by a woman. She also extended her lead in the
downhill standings to 129 points over fellow American Stacey
Cook, who was 15th today.

“I feel so comfortable here, and I knew it would be a good
day,” Vonn, 28, said on the U.S. Ski Team’s website. “I just
skied the best I could, executed my plan and it worked out.”

Maze increased her advantage in the overall standings to
670 points over Germany’s Maria Hoefl-Riesch, who didn’t finish
today’s race. Vonn, a four-time overall champion, is in fourth.

Innerhofer won his second downhill race of the season with
a time of 2:29.82 on the Lauberhom run in Wengen. He beat out
Austrians Klaus Kroell, who finished 0.30 seconds behind, and
Hannes Reichelt, who was 0.76 seconds back.

“I pushed as hard as I could for as long as I could,”
Innerhofer, also 28, said on the World Cup website. “I skied a
run like never before, I can definitely say that.”

The victory moves Innerhofer into second in the downhill
standings, 52 points behind Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal, who
didn’t finish his run today. Svindal remained 98 points behind
Austria’s Marcel Hirscher, who didn’t race today, in the overall
standings. The women continue tomorrow with a super-G in
Cortina, while the men race a slalom in Wengen.